Noun

3 a collection of objects laid on top of each
other [syn: pile, heap, cumulus]

4 structure consisting of an artificial heap or
bank usually of earth or stones; "they built small mounds to hide
behind" [syn: hill]

5 the position on a baseball team of the player
who throws the ball for a batter to try to hit; "he has played
every position except pitcher"; "they have a southpaw on the mound"
[syn: pitcher] v : form
into a rounded elevation; "mound earth"

English

Pronunciation

Noun

A ball or globe forming part of the regalia of an emperor or
other sovereign. It is encircled with bands, enriched with precious
stones, and surmounted with a cross; -- called also globe.

An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an
embarkment thrown up for defense; a bulwark; a rampart; also, a
natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular
and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll.

North American archaeology

In the archaeology of the United
States and Canada, the term
"mound" has specific and technical connotations. In this sense, a
mound is a deliberately constructed elevated earthen structure or
earthwork,
intended for a range of potential uses. In European and Asian
archaeology, the word "tumulus" may be used as a
synonym for an artificial hill, particularly if the hill is related
to particular burial
customs.

While the term "mound" may be applied to historic
constructions, most mounds in the United States are prehistoric earthworks, built
by
Native American peoples. Native Americans built a variety of
mounds, including flat-topped pyramids or cones known as platform
mounds, rounded cones, and ridge or loaf-shaped mounds. Some
mounds took on unusual shapes, such as the outline of
cosmologically significant animals. These are known as effigy
mounds. Some mounds, such as a few in Wisconsin, have
rock formations, or petroforms within them, on
them, or near them.

While these mounds are perhaps not as famous
as burial mounds, like
their European analogs, Native American mounds also have a variety
of other uses. While some prehistoric cultures, like the Adena
culture, used mounds preferentially for burial, others used
mounds for other ritual and sacred acts, as well as for secular
functions. The platform
mounds of the Mississippian
culture, for example, may have supported temples, the houses of chiefs, council houses,
and may have also acted as a platform for public speaking. Other
mounds would have been part of defensive walls to protect a certain
area. The Hopewell
culture used mounds as markers of complex astronomical
alignments related to ceremonies.

Mounds and related earthworks are the only
significant monumental
construction in prehistoric Eastern and Central North
America.

Archaeology elsewhere

Mound, as a technical term in
archaeology, is not generally in favor in the rest of the world.
More specific local terminology is preferred, and each of these
terms has its own article (see below).